


The Roles We Fill

by Anonymouskeeper



Category: ONEUS (Band), ONEWE (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Cute platonic relationships, Dongju-Centric, Fluff, Gen, Hurt Dongju, Medical Inaccuracies, One-Shots, POV Outsider, Probably ooc, Protective Hyungs, Sickfic, doting hyungs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:22:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26396341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonymouskeeper/pseuds/Anonymouskeeper
Summary: A One-Shot collection - all in the same canon-compliant universe - of Dongju/Xion with his ONEUS hyungs, with a lot of ONEWE included. AKA an exploration of Dongju’s relationship with ONEUS and ONEWE.As a group, they’ve grown used to each other. They’ve learnt how to move with and around each other; when to offer help and when to take a step back; how to live together without strangling someone. Each of them have their roles in the group.As maknae, Dongju has his own role to fill. Of course, this includes nagging as necessary, scaring his hyungs and trying hard not to worry anyone. Obviously, this doesn’t always work out as he hopes.
Relationships: ONEUS Ensemble & ONEWE Ensemble, Son Dongju | Xion & Everyone, Son Dongju | Xion & ONEUS Ensemble, Son Dongju | Xion & Son Dongmyeong
Comments: 29
Kudos: 171





	1. Dongju disappears. And gives his hyungs a heart attack.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone. I’ve recently got really into ONEUS (and ONEWE) and really wanted to try and explore some of their relationships with each other. I love the relationship between Dongju and Dongmyeong especially and so this is the basis of this fic. You’ll find at least some aspect of their relationship in every chapter of this story. 
> 
> I will admit that I found their characterisation difficult and although I tried to stick to what I did know, I don’t feel like I know enough about them to give an accurate portrayal. So, definitely OOC, although hopefully not to an unbelievable extent. I also took major liberties on the relationship between Dongju and the members of ONEWE, although I do believe its not at all ridiculous to assume they must have known each other before either of them joined RBW. I’m just going expanding on that in this fic, purely for fluff and drama purposes. 
> 
> This is a One-shot collection (at least, that’s how I’d best describe it) so every chapter, unless otherwise indicated, is a single oneshot that doesn’t lead on to the next chapter. This is particularly important because they’re not going to be on a chronological timeline. However, they are all in the same ‘universe’, in which the same relationship between the members of ONEWE and ONEUS are assumed and stuff that happens in chronologically earlier chapters may be relevant in the chronologically later ones. 
> 
> Also, some of the tags are for later chapters that I’ve already written and not all of them apply to this chapter. So don’t expect to read everything in the tags in this chapter. 
> 
> One more thing, this has been quickly read over but not proofread, so I apologise for any mistakes. This is mostly just a casual thing to get my ONEUS/ONEWE feels out of the way and none of these chapters are likely to be properly proofread. 
> 
> Anyway, please read on and I hope you enjoy :)

Yonghoon isn't surprised when he walks into the other bedroom to wake the maknae's and finds that they've acquired one extra. Dongmyeong is star-fished in the top bunk, one hand stuck through the railing and Dongju sprawled fully across him. Yonghoon isn't quite sure how Dongmyeong manages to breathe when they're laying like that, but he's seen it so often over the years he figures its just kind of luck. Or some sort of twin magic. Giwook is curled on his side on the bottom bunk, hugging the twins' matching stuffed toys to his chest. Even though its not a new sight, Yonghoon can't contain his 'aww' at the cuteness.

The noise makes Dongju stir. Yonghoon steps up to the bunk, reaching over to run a hand through the younger twin's hair.

"Morning, Doongie." He says brightly. The younger turns bleary eyes at him before sighing, annoyed and turning to bury his face back in his twin's shoulder. Yonghoon bites his lip to keep from cooing. "Nope, come on. Dongmyeong needs to get up and you probably need to get to your dorm." He ruffles the other's hair, hoping it will help him wake up. "Actually, do your members even know where you are?"

He doesn't get an answer, but he doesn't really need one. He already knows its a 'no'. He sighs, imagining the chaos currently going on upstairs. Both groups have the same start time today, needing to get ready to record their pre-debut show and Youngjo and Geonhak, at least, are bound to be awake. And probably panicking, the minute they realise they've lost their maknae.

Deciding he'll deal with it later, Yonghoon wriggles his hand under Dongju to shake Dongmyeong's shoulder. The older twin groans, moving like he wants to roll over. He's stopped by Dongju's weight on top of him and he opens his eyes in confusion.

"Rise and shine, sunshine." Yonghoon singsongs, roughly ruffling Dongmyeong's hair. Satisfied that the annoyed glare means the older twin, at least, is awake, Yonghoon crouches down to shake Giwook awake. The youngest immediately rolls over, bringing the blanket up over his head. That means he's awake though, so Yonghoon cheerfully yanks the blanket down.

"Time to get up. We're due at the salon in an hour." He announces cheerfully. He gets three simultanious groans, which he grins at. "Come on, Harin's making breakfast." That gets some interested murmuring.

"Why's hyung cooking?" Giwook flops over to look at him curiously.

"Cause its the first day of filming, of course. Gotta have lots of energy." Yonghoon says brightly, raising a fist.

"I think you've got enough energy for all of us." Dongju mutters.

"You can never have too much energy!" He claims before bouncing out the door. They're all awake - his job as leader is done. They're all professional enough to get up themselves. Besides, he should really be a good hyung and contact Dongju's group about their maknae's whereabouts. He doesn't get the chance.

He's still looking for his phone from wherever he left it last night when someone knocks on the door. Yonghoon looks over suspiciously, sharing a glance with Harin. Hyungu is in the shower. He can hear voices and muffled bangs from the maknae's room as they get ready.

"Who's that?" Harin voices.

"I don't -" He cuts himself off. "Ah, wait, Dongju's here."

Harin makes a noise of realisation.

"You should probably let them in before they break the door down, then." He says dryly.

Yonghoon rolls his eyes in agreement and goes to open the door. Hwanwoong and Geonhak are stood there, dressed but ruffled.

"You weren't answering your phone." Hwanwoong says immediately.

"Yeah, I don't know where it is." Yonghoon shrugs his shoulders. It'll turn up eventually.

"Hyung." Hwanwoong rolls his eyes judgementally. "This is urgent. Dongju's missing."

Geonhak shuffles worriedly from behind him. Yonghoon's pretty sure that he's soon going to start wringing his hands together. However, before he can reassure them on the location of their maknae, a door opens.

Yonghoon blinks, looking over his shoulder as the maknae's spill out of their bedroom. Giwook is squished between the affectionate twins, although he doesn't look unhappy about it. Dongju has his teddy in one arm and is wearing clothes that are very obviously not his. The jeans are the right length but too baggy. The hoodie is very large and Yonghoon's actually pretty sure it's one of his, although how it ended up in the maknae's room he'll never know.

"Dongju!" Hwanwoong exclaims, moving into the dorm. Geonhak follows and they both head straight for their maknae. Their maknae who is blinking at them in confusion. "Where have you been? We woke up this morning and you weren't there, you almost gave hyungs a heart attack!" The shortest boy says, not quite scolding. He's quick to pull Dongju into a hug, squishing the teddy between them. Dongmyeong and Giwook blink sleepily at the display.

"Were you here all night?" Geonhak asks lowly, pulling Dongju into his arms when Hwanwoong lets go.

"Yeah." Dongju replies like its obvious. To him it is. To Yonghoon and Harin and all of Onewe, it is. Dongju wouldn't go anywhere else, especially not on his own. Yonghoon would only panic if all three maknae's were missing.

"God." He can't help but mutter to himself. He gets five curious looks.

"Hyung?" Hwanwoong asks curiously.

"Ah, just remembering the time that the twins and Giwook disappeared." He winces thinking about it.

"Ahh, hyung, it wasn't that bad." Dongmyeong chuckles nervously.

"You only need to worry if all three of them are missing." He tells the idol members seriously.

"What happened?" Geonhak asks, although he looks like he's not sure if he wants to know.

The wide eyed looks on the maknae's faces convinces him to tell the story.

"We went to the coast to do some busking. It was summer, so Dongju came with us and I'd promised their parents I'd look after them all, since they were only sixteen." He sends a glare at the three troublemakers. "God, I don't even know how they snuck away but I'd gone to get some drinks and when I got back Harin and Hyungu were hysterical because they'd lost the teenagers. They turned up at the hotel we were staying in at about eleven that night, soaking wet and refusing to say where they'd been. It gave me my first grey hair." He sniffed.

Geonhak and Hwanwoong are looking at him with wide eyes. Dongju has slumped to rest his head in the crook of Geonhak's shoulder, closing his eyes tiredly. Obviously wanting to avoid yet another interrogation on the topic, his maknae's have made their way over to Harin, pestering him for bits of food. Yonghoon sighs at the sight, abandoning the three idol members.

"Stop pestering Harin! Go and pack your bags for the day, come on." He shoos them away from the kitchen, not bothered by their grumbling. They do eventually listen to him and slump off to rescue Giwook's bass where its hidden under their coats from last night.

"We've got to let the others know we've found Dongju, hyung." Hwanwoong calls to him as Geonhak slowly walks Dongju to the door. "We'll see you at the company."

Yonghoon waves them off, too busy trying to snatch a piece of kimchi from the frying pan. He never claimed not to be a hypocrite.

Hwanwoong calls one last goodbye to them, shutting the door behind them. Geonhak has given up in getting their maknae to move under his own power and has scooped him up into a princess hold. It takes a bit of manoeuvring to fit Dongju through the doors of the lift, but they lived three floors up and it was too far to carry him. Hwanwoong cooed at the maknae, even though the lingering worry and frustration he felt made him think he should be scolding his only dongsaeng.

When Dongju turned a sleepy pout in his direction, Hwanwoong decided that he could coddle the maknae and leave the scolding to his oldest hyungs. Not that Hwanwoong would bet any money that it would be a particularly harsh scolding. In fact, Hwanwoong reckons it'll be a small telling-off followed by a lot of coddling.

When they get back to their dorms, Hwanwoong's prediction becomes largely true. They enter the door to a cacophony of noise, Youngjo talking concernedly into the phone. Keonhee and Seoho seemed to be holding a war council over the coffee table, both their phones pinging as messages come through. They hadn't wanted to all split up with no idea where to go, so Hwanwoong and Geonhak had been sent down to Onewe's dorm to see if they'd heard from him, whilst Youngjo called their calmest manager and the other two asked any mutual friends. They hadn't wanted to cause a mass panic, or get Dongju into trouble if he'd just sneaked off to the shop for something different for breakfast, but they'd all majorly panicked when they'd woken up and Dongju hadn't been in his bed. Or someone else's bed. Or anywhere else in the dorm. There hadn't been a note or anything either, and his phone had been under his pillow, although Doongdoongie was missing. That had left them confused more than anything, although Hwanwoong now completely understood it all.

"We've found him!" He announced loudly, going through the door first. Three heads snapped in his direction and by the time Geonhak had cleared the doorway, somehow managed to avoid banging Dongju's legs, they were all making their way towards them.

"Maknae-yah!" Seoho scolded immediately.

Dongju groaned, turning to hide his face for a second before wriggling until Geonhak let his legs drop and he stood on his own two feet, although he stayed leaning against Geonhak, who wrapped his arms around the maknae's waist comfortably.

"Where have you been?" Keonhee cried out, reaching out to grab Dongju's hands.

"He was in Onewe's dorm." Hwanwoong answered before Dongju could.

"What?" Youngjo crowded close, wrapping an arm around the main dancer's shoulders. "Why were you there?" He asked, confused.

"I couldn't sleep." There was a slight whine to the maknae's voice. "So I went downstairs and slept with Dongmyeong." It was said like it was the most obvious solution.

"Why didn't you come in with one of us?" Youngjo asked.

Dongju just shrugged. Hwanwoong sighed - their maknae did what he wanted, they all knew.

"Yonghoon-hyung wasn't even surprised that he was there." Hwanwoong revealed. He'd been surprised at how Yonghoon acted like it was a normal occurrence. The older hadn't really said anything, but he'd known that Dongju was there before their maknae had appeared. "Have you done this before?" He asked.

Dongju shrugged.

"A few times. I did it a lot when I first moved in." He explained quietly.

Something clicked. Hwanwoong remembered the many mornings of waking up to Dongju gone - presumably at individual lessons - his bed neatly made and none of the hyungs having seen him. They hadn't worried back then - when they were an established debut-group but still involved largely in individual schedules and practices. It hadn't been unusual for one or more of them to be missing all day or even all night. It was different now - they rarely had schedules without at least one other member and on the rare occasion that they did, at least one other person knew about it.

"That's actually really cute." Someone whispered. It was almost too quite to make out who it was, but Hwanwoong would bet it was Youngjo.

"It doesn't matter how cute it is." He rolled his eyes. "He needs to tell us or leave a note or something if he's leaving the dorm in the middle of the night." He told the older members. Someone needed to tell the maknae off. He wasn't even going to try

Seoho and Youngjo exchanged looks, before Youngjo sighed and stepped up to pull Dongju away from Geonhak and into his own arms. Dongju huffed at the movement and made to pull away immediately but Youngjo just held on tighter.

"Yah, maknae." He starts, in the softest voice possible. They all roll their eyes at that - this was not going to be scolding in the least. "Its ok if you want to see your twin but I almost had a heart attack when I couldn't find you this morning. We all did. So, just - " He'd started swaying as he talked, rocking Dongju side-to-side like he was actually a baby. "Just make sure to leave a note or text one of us before you leave. And please try and remember to take your phone." He finished with a sigh.

Dongju peered up at him with judgemental eyes, which the oldest wilfully ignored, but didn't say anything. After a moment, he nodded.

"What I want to know," Keonhee piped up, pushing closer to the pair and wrapping an arm around Youngjo's shoulders. "Is how you even got into the other dorm? Were the others still awake, it must have been late..."

"I know the password." Dongju turned his judgemental eyes on to Keonhee, who just beamed back at him.

"Ah, the love between brothers." Seoho sighed sentimentally, trying half-heartedly to shrug off Geonhak's arm, who had pulled him and Hwanwoong into his sides. "Wait, does this mean he knows the password to our dorm too?" He asked with sudden realisation.

"Yep." Dongju nodded. They all shared a look, although eventually sighed and gave it up. They weren't supposed to give their password out to anyone, but it was too late now and at least it was just Dongmyeong.

"Alright." Youngjo sighed. "Come on, we need to get ready. The car will be here soon." He looks at Dongju as the younger pulls away and raises an eyebrow at what he's wearing.

Dongju obviously notices the look, becuase he raises his chin confidently.

"I'm just going to get some shoes." He declares, scuttling away from their huddle.

Youngjo can't help but sigh despairingly. These people have obviously never heard of fashion.


	2. He’s allergic?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A meal out between ONEWE and ONEUS results in an unexpected revelation. Also, Youngjo’s take on the twins’ relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so glad that so many of you seemed to enjoy the first chapter. I love writing about the relationship between ONEWE and ONEUS, especially between the twins.   
> I also got my first request from toastedbrownrice on the first chapter and I just want to say that it has been (mostly) written and will be uploaded sometime in the next week :) 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Youngjo has grown used to Dongju. The younger hasn't been with them long, in the company or as part of the group planned for debut, but Youngjo can't feel bitter about the boy's luck when Dongju is just so earnest. And cute. He knows the others feel the same way; although not necessarily for as long, Dongju has worked just as hard as them the past few months to prepare for debut - perhaps even harder, striving to reach impossible levels of perfection in such a small amount of time.

Also, Youngjo will freely admit that having known and trained with Dongmyeong before hand had helped. Dongmyeong loved his twin, had talked to him multiple times a week. Youngjo barely talked to his sister that many times a month. He supposed that the bond between twins was different, but it didn't make it any less endearing. Plus, it had been easy to trust Dongmyeong's judgement. Everyone else had done the same when he'd introduced Geonhak to them - perhaps more so, in some way, since Geonhak tended to come off as intimidating before you got to know him. Dongju just came off as cute and shy, even if his face was almost intimidatingly pretty and actually fairly cold.

He shakes himself from his thoughts as a burst of laughter echoes through the dorm. They've been a complete group for a few months now, getting used to living in close quarters and figuring out how to grow closer as a group whilst respecting each other's privacy and personal bubbles. Youngjo had been relieved that none of them much knew the meaning of 'personal space'. He'd always been cuddly and it was relieving to be around people who both accepted and returned his affection; years of working with other trainees who didn't had left a bad impression.

The little group on the sofa reminded him he could get a cuddle any time he liked, though. He grinned at them from where he was reclined on the floor under the window, hoping the natural light would afford him some inspiration. He enjoyed being involved in the production of their songs, especially the song-writing aspect. It doesn't mean it couldn't be difficult to come up with something, however.

Their sofa was too small for six people, but they often managed to cram at least four of them on it, although if they tried very hard they could all pile on. Right now, there were three taking up the space. Hwanwoong was sitting sideways, leaning against the arm rest with his legs crossed. Geonhak was sprawled at the other end. Dongju had decided not to take the last spot on the sofa and instead made himself comfy on the older's lap, sitting sideways with his feet in Hwanwoong's lap. The main dancer was absentmindedly rubbing at their youngest's ankles. Youngjo stifles a laugh as he remembers that Geonhak hadn't even looked put-out at Dongju's choice in seating, instead pulling the maknae closer so he rested more comfortably. He still had a stabilising arm around Dongju's waist.

"Hey hyung?"

Youngjo blinked, looking up at Seoho as the second-oldest appeared in the doorway to the bedrooms. He was carrying a bundle in his arms and Youngjo watched, a smile spreading across his face, as the younger made his way to the sofa, dropping Dongju's favourite stuffed animal onto the maknae's lap and wrapping the blanket it had been wrapped in around his shoulders.

"Thanks hyung." The maknae beamed at him, hugging the toy to his chest. Geonhak reached up, pulling the blanket tighter around the youngest so he was completely covered.

"Did you need something, Seoho-ah?" Youngjo asked, remembering Seoho had called to him.

"Oh, yeah. Yonghoon-hyung texted, asked if we all wanted to go out to dinner this evening. Apparently they have the evening off and want to go out." Seoho replied, lifting Dongju's legs and squeezing himself into the space between Geonhak and Hwanwoong. He ended up sitting half on Hwanwoong and was quick to drop Dongju's legs into his lap, since the maknae had been screeching at the angle his legs had been forced in to.

"Huh." Youngjo rolled so that he was sat up, patting the floor around him for his phone. "I mean, that sounds good, if everyone's up for it." He said absentmindedly. He still hadn't found his phone.

"Here hyung." Something was thrown at him and he had to scramble to catch it. He was glad he had, since it turned out to be his phone. He quickly clicked into it, discovering a whole conversation of texts between 'him' and Yonghoon. He turned to stare at Seoho, raising an eyebrow. The slightly younger just beamed at him. He sighed, resigned. He honestly didn't know how these brats kept learning his phone password, but he wasn't about to give up just yet - one day he'd have that privacy.

"So is everyone up for going out for dinner?" He asked the group on the sofa.

"Beats takeout for the third night in a row." Hwanwoong shrugged.

Geonhak made a vague sound of agreement, although Youngjo expected nothing less from their quietest member.

"Yeah, it'll be nice to see everyone again." Dongju piped up, smiling. Youngjo couldn't help but smile back. He knew Dongju and Dongmyeong liked to meet up whenever they could; before Dongju had joined the company, they'd managed to work around Dongmyeong's schedule to meet up a few times a week. Now, with both twins as busy as each other, they mostly talked quickly over lunch at the company or sneaking into each other's dorms on an early morning.

"Great!" Seoho beamed. "We want to try that new BBQ place."

Everyone cheered at that - they were nearing the end of the month, but had done exceptionally well with their budget, which had recently increased. It was only this week they'd had to rely on takeaways, as they'd all been too exhausted to cook after learning a new choreography. But this meant that they could afford to splash out on expensive BBQ.

"What time are we meeting them?" Hwanwoong questioned, wiggling to get his leg out from underneath Seoho.

"Half-seven." The older replied, making a face when the dancer twisted so that his legs were also on top of Seoho, tucking his toes under Dongju's leg.

Youngjo tapped something out to Younghoon, although he was sure the older knew it hadn't been him replying to his messages. He ignored as the four on the sofa started bickering, too used to it by now. That was how they spent the afternoon - Youngjo was too lazy to move from his spot, especially with the sun warming his back now that the clouds had broken a little. The four on the sofa eventually quietened down. Dongju had fallen asleep, head tucked into Geonhak's neck. The big softy was rubbing the maknae's back, although both he and Hwanwoong were tilted slightly to watch something on Seoho's tablet. Keonhee had wandered through looking for snacks and had screeched in delight at the news of BBQ, which had quickly been squashed with a pointed gesture in Dongju's direction. The taller had decided to grab a bag of shrimp crackers and collapse to the floor beside Youngjo, quickly snuggling into his side. Youngjo didn't complain, lifting an arm to wrap around the younger. It was peaceful, all of them sat here like this. It was rare for them all to have the day off and it was relaxing like this. Youngjo was also of the opinion that it was a good way to bond, the six of them meshing together privately as well as publicly.

The time passed quickly and it didn't feel like long before Youngjo was herding his younger members to the bedrooms to get dressed. He didn't usually care what they looked like, as long as it was vaguely presentable, but they were going to a nice BBQ place with the band members. They were close, truly the 'brother-groups' they were marketed as, but that didn't mean they couldn't look nice.

That's what he lectured as Seoho, the slob, complained about having to put on his nice jeans. Youngjo won that argument and exited the room they used as a wardrobe with a self-satisfied air. He'd managed to change in the time it had taken to shove the younger into his clothes and was pleased with his outfit. He wandered into the big bedroom to check on how the other three were faring, to find Hwanwoong dressed and preening in front of the mirror, Geonhak missing and Dongju half asleep on the bed. He'd gotten changed from the pyjamas he'd previously been wearing, but Youngjo wasn't sure if a pair of faded jeans that didn't even reach his ankle and a fluffy jumper was dinner-appropriate.

"Doongie..." He cooed, going to crouch beside the bed. Dongju had been off all day, and although he hadn't complained about anything Youngjo suspected the younger had a headache and combined with the exhaustion of the past week, it had knocked him flat. He'd napped for more than two hours earlier. "You look very cute but is that jumper the best thing to wear to dinner?" He asked as softly as he could.

Dongju turned onto his side to send him a pouty glare. Youngjo was pretty sure he melted. He didn't think he'd ever get used to how cute their maknae was.

"Its only BBQ." Dongju murmured.

Youngjo reached out, running his hand over the maknae's head. He didn't feel warm, which was good.

"Its a pretty nice restaurant." Youngjo countered.

Dongju huffed, but sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed - which was actually Seoho's, Youngjo noticed. He pushed himself to his full height, watching as Dongju stood, pulling the jumper off, revealing a plain white t-shirt underneath. Youngjo despaired when the maknae just grabbed one of his endless cardigans, although he didn't complain. At least it was one of the nicer cardigans. He was glad when Geonhak wandered back in, shirtless and in a pair of ripped jeans. Youngjo felt no remorse when telling him to change his trousers, settling back on Seoho's bed where Dongju had flopped back down.

A trainee had told Youngjo, a couple of months ago, that they spoiled their maknae. Youngjo hadn't known what to say then, although if he was told this again he was pretty sure he'd just give a resigned sigh.

As he discovered at the restaurant, however, they had nothing on Dongmyeong or the members of the band.

They'd met the other five at the restaurant, since they were coming from the company building instead of the dorms. The band had actually arrived first and already secured them all a large table in a semi-private alcove. They had been able to hear the group the minute they entered the seating area, not even needing to ask the waitress where to go.

"Dongju!" Dongmyeong shouted the moment he noticed them, shooting out of his seat and throwing himself at his twin. Dongju staggered back at the sudden movement, but was quick to wrap his own arms around the other. Youngjo grinned when the other four looked up at the shout.

"Hey guys." He greeted, sliding into a seat next to Yonghoon. He was ignored, as the eldest amongst them leaned over to fuss over Dongju, who had been ushered into Dongmyeong's original seat next to Giwook. Youngjo rolled his eyes.

"I see who the favourite is." He muttered teasingly. This never changed - even now, months after Dongju had joined them, the band fussed over him first. Youngjo couldn't blame them, not least because their group did the same. Although they'd never really said it outright, the band had known each other for years. Dongju was Dongmyeong's twin - they were all bound to have known him long before any of them had.

"Ah, Youngjo!" Yonghoon turned his way, immediatly wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Youngjo rolled his eyes again, although he didn't reject the skinship. This was another reason it was so easy to get along with the band - they were just as affectionate, or at least, open to affection, as the rest of them. Yonghoon, he could easily argue, was even more clingy. "You're my second favourite." He declared with a bright smile.

There was a grumbling around the table, which Youngjo couldn't help but laugh at.

"You only say that because I'm the only one that doesn't make you feel old." He teases. Yonghoon gasps dramatically, dropping the arm from around his shoulders to clutch at his heart.

"I see how it is." He sniffed. "I take it back, Geonhak is my second favourite."

Geonhak looked up from where he'd been perusing the menu with wide eyes. He obviously hadn't been paying attention to the conversation. They all laughed at his confusion.

The rest of the evening passed similarly. Conversation never died down, not with eleven of them there to come up with something to talk about. Yonghoon and Keonhee could keep the conversation going with just the two of them, Youngjo knew from experience. They ordered enough food to feed themselves three times over and Youngjo was sure both groups would have a box of leftovers by the end of it, which he was glad about since the food was delicious.

Youngjo was in the middle of an interesting conversation with Harin when he noticed Dongju wasn't eating. A number of the others had obviously noticed, too, since most of them were shooting far from subtle looks in his direction. Dongmyeong and Giwook had definitely noticed, since they'd boxed the younger twin in between them, scooting their chairs so they were pressed up against him. Giwook was pulling a large bowl of kimchi in their direction and was quick to grab a plate of the pork ribs, too. Youngjo looked back at Harin, to find the young drummer peering, concerned, at the maknae's.

"Has he been eating alright?" Harin asked suddenly. Youngjo blinked, startled.

"Yeah, as much as any of us." He replied quickly, though. "We've been pretty busy this week, but he's had breakfast and dinner every day."

It was something Youngjo kept track of almost subconsciously. He did it for all of his members, although he worried about some more than others. Hwanwoong who would work himself to death if given half a chance; Geonhak who got so caught up in things he tended to forget; Dongju, who was so painfully thin.

Harin exhaled, something that sounded almost like relief.

"That's good." He murmured.

Youngjo cocked his head, opening his mouth to ask about the worry when Dongmyeong's voice rose over everyone else's.

"You're allergic to shrimp, Dongju! No, you can't eat it."

Youngjo blinked, spinning to stare at the maknae's. Dongju was pouting again. Dongmyeong looked annoyed and Giwook an odd mix of frustrated and amused.

"It won't kill me." He heard Dongju mutter petulantly.

"You're allergic to shrimp?" Youngjo couldn't help but ask.

Everyone at the table was listening now. The youngest three all looked at him.

"He didn't tell you?" Dongmyeong asked. The eye roll was practically audible.

Youngjo shook his head, watching as Dongju winced.

"You didn't tell them?" Giwook asked quietly, the tone of his voice obviously implying what he thought of that.

"I forgot." Dongju said quietly.

"Seriously?" Dongmyeong whined, annoyed but accepting, knowing exactly what his twin was like.

Youngjo was still pretty worried.

"But I've seen you eat shrimp before." Youngjo blurs out. Dongmyeong turn a judgemental stare on his twin brother.

"He can eat them, it doesn't send him into anaphylactic shock or anything, but he really shouldn't." Yonghoon interrupts.

"You knew?" Youngjo asks before he can stop himself.

Yonghoon blinks guilelessly.

"Yeah, it was on the list."

"Oh god, don't mention that." Dongmyeong groans.

"But it was so cute." The oldest coos.

"What list?" Keonhee asks, leaning as far over the table as he can with all the plates in the way.

"When we first met Dongju, Myeongie here made a list of all the stuff needed to help take care of him." Kanghyun says, laughing.

Dongmyeong groans, turning to bury his face in his twin's shoulder. Dongju's blushing, too.

"That's so cute." Seoho whispers, although they all hear him. Youngjo nods his agreement.

"It was a pretty good list." Giwook says seriously.

"That's cause you wrote half of it." Harin accuses. Giwook shrugs, shameless.

"Dongmyeong's not very good at lists." Is all he says in his defence.

"So you knew Dongju before the rest of the band?" Hwanwoong asks curiously, peering around Geonhak to look at the trio of maknae's.

"Yeah." Is all Giwook initially offers, although the amount of raised eyebrows directed at him urge him to go on. "I lived next door to them throughout middle school."

Youngjo hums, still curious. Dongju has never elaborated on his relationship with his twin's bandmates and neither have they.

"You actually wrote a list?" Geonhak asks incredulously, steering the conversation back on track. Youngjo gives him a judgemental stare - it is totally the sort of thing he'd do if it meant people would take better care of Dongju. None of them are more whipped for the maknae then Geonhak. It is almost unbearably cute.

"Dongju spent a lot of time with us whilst we were practicing." Yonghoon elaborates. "Dongmyeong wanted to make sure we knew how to take care of him." The oldest is cooing again.

"That's still really cute." Hwanwoong mutters.

"This isn't important!" Dongmyeong says suddenly, banging his hands on the table. "He didn't tell you he's allergic to shellfish?"

They all shake their heads. Dongmyeong purses his lips, looking at where Dongju is pressed up against Giwook's side, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Honestly, Dongju-ah." Dongmyeong shakes his head. "Ok, he's allergic to all types of shellfish but it doesn't send him into anaphylactic shock. He still has to take these really strong allergy meds if he eats anything with shellfish in it, though and if the symptoms don't calm down in a few hours he has to go to the hospital." Dongmyeong lectures. "You have to watch out, because he actually really likes shrimp so he likes to just take the risk." Dongmyeong shakes his head, sighing tiredly. Youngjo bites his lip to keep from laughing; its adorable, how much Dongmyeong obviously cares for his twin. "He doesn't like crab or anything, though, so he doesn't usually try and eat that anyway."

"Shrimp are yummy." Dongju whines. Dongmyeong smacks him over the back of the head, although Youngjo doesn't think it can even be classified as a tap. In fact, Youngjo would better describe it as a rough caress.

"They also make you really ill and give you the worst rash." The older twin scolds. The mood lightens again at the bickering between the twins. The revelation that they hadn't known about their maknae's allergy had shocked all of them; its such an important piece of information. Youngjo knows Dongju, though. Their maknae wouldn't have wanted to bother them with something he deemed unimportant - it wouldn't kill him, so there was no point worrying them. He wouldn't have thought that it would only make them worry more.

Youngjo sighs, attracting Yonghoon's attention.

"You alright?" His hyung asks, reaching out to wrap an arm around his shoulders.

"Yeah, just- " He sighs again. "Why wouldn't he tell us?"

Yonghoon makes a noise in the back of his throat, pursing his lips and looking over at where the twins are still bickering.

"He probably forgot." He muttered, seemingly to himelf, before shaking his head. "And he wouldn't have wanted to worry you." Youngjo sighed, long-suffering. "Honestly, he's probably also used to Dongmyeong letting people know. He brings it up every time they go to a restaurant that sells fish, or whenever they go out to eat anywhere that might have shellfish. He even brings it up when they go to the beach." Yonghoon sounds long-suffering, too. "I guess Dongmyeong thought Dongju would tell you, since you're living together, and Dongju thought Dongmyeong would have told you, since he always has."

"I suppose." Youngjo muttered in agreement. It wasn't as obvious now, but when Dongju had first joined the company he was very reliant on his twin. They had drifted apart - in some senses, anyway - when Dongju had settled in and grown comfortable around them, but they had reconnected filming their debut show and Youngjo was reminded that they had grown up nearly attached at the hip. They'd had to get used to not being two parts of a whole when Dongmyeong joined the survival programs, but it was moments like this that Youngjo realised they weren't entirely there yet. It was adorable - sometimes it made him wish he had a twin.

He looked over to where the twins were sat, Giwook eating away at the shrimp they were currently arguing over with a small, smug smile. Actually, he argued with his older sister enough - he couldn't imagine the arguments he'd have with a twin. Maybe he'd leave that to Dongju.


	3. A Comforting Hyung

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dongju needs a little help and Keonhee steps up to the plate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As requested by toastedbrownrice on Chapter One, a little interaction between Keonhee and Dongju. I hope this is at least something like you had in mind 😂

Dongju sneezed, a surprised squeak escaping him immediately afterwards. He'd been sneezing on and off all afternoon, but had waved away any concerns from his hyungs during the afternoon of dance practice they'd had. He was alone now, though. Youngjo had retreated to his studio, inspiration striking. Keonhee had a vocal lesson. Hwanwoong, Geonhak and Seoho each had some errands to run and had gone into the city. Dongju had gone with Youngjo for an early dinner at a local cafe, before returning to their practice room to go over their newest choreographies a couple more times. That had been three hours ago and he knew his hyungs would tell him off if they knew he was still here, especially since the sneezing would make them think he had a cold and should try and sleep it off. Dongju was of the opinion that a cold was best worked off, as he'd done many times before.

He sneezed again and this time had to sniff to try and clear his nose. He gave up after a minute, abandoning his position in front of the mirror to go find a tissue. The beat of their debut track was so loud it felt like the floor was thumping and Dongju reached for the speakers to pause the song. He hadn't noticed as he'd danced, too focused on his steps and his form, but his head was pounding. The headache became more obvious when the music stopped and the pounding didn't and he couldn't help but groan.

Maybe he should give in and go home now. None of the hyungs would be happy if he showed up at the dorm in his practice clothes, obviously having danced all evening, feeling unwell. And they'd be able to tell - Geonhak especially seemed to have a sixth sense for when something was up with him.

He groaned again at the thought, pressing the heel of his palm into his forehead. His head actually really hurt.

That made up his mind for him. He couldn't bare the thought of turning the music back on and he felt pretty accomplished with the progress he'd made with his dancing. He'd definitely do better at dance practice tomorrow than he had today, where he'd made a number of easy mistakes.

He winced, thinking of the way he'd tripped over his own feet that afternoon, copying Hwanwoong's example of one of their new moves. It had been embarrassing - he'd been the only one of them to fall over, even if a couple of the others had had trouble doing the move correctly. Doubly embarrassing was the way they had all hovered as Hwanwoong ran careful, searching hands down his arms, sides and legs to search for any injuries. He'd only tripped over, though and apart from a couple of bruises he'd been unhurt. That hadn't stopped them from insisting he take a small break. Dongju rolled his eyes at the memory and wondered if every group fussed over their maknae's like this. He wasn't exactly new to being fussed over like this - Dongmyeong was an overbearing, protective twin and his bandmates often followed his lead - but Dongju had hoped that joining a group of strangers would mean less mother-henning.

That definitely hadn't happened. Although Dongju had to admit that he liked being fussed over sometimes and once again blamed his twin for making him used to being mother-henned.

Whilst he thought, Dongju had stuffed his phone and water bottle in his bag and grabbed his coat. He cast one more glance around the now-empty practice room before turning the light off and quickly exiting. If he was lucky, he'd make it back to the dorms and into bed before any of the others turned up. Youngjo rarely left his studio before 2am and he knew Hwanwoong, Seoho and Geonhak had planned on having a late dinner at Seoho's favourite seafood restaurant before returning, so he didn't expect them back until late either. Keonhee was the only wildcard, Dongju contemplated to himself as he strolled over to the private exit, since their vocal teacher didn't tend to stay late and his lesson was likely already over. It all depended on if Keonhee had stayed behind for any reason.

"Oh for..." Dongju sighed in exasperation, annoyed as he stared out into the street. It was raining quite heavily, puddles already forming along the curb. He didn't have a waterproof coat on him, or an umbrella. It had been sunny this morning, with no rain predicted. He should have known not to trust the forecast. He sighed once more before stepping out into the street, walking determinedly down towards the dorm. He was lucky - they lived less than ten minutes away on foot.

The short distance didn't stop him from being completely soaked when he entered the lift of his building with a relieved sigh. He lifted a hand to push his hair back, raindrops dripping into his face from the sopping strands. It turned out to be a futile gesture, as his fringe immediately flopped back to drip over his eyes. He gave a frustrated sigh, glad when the lift stopped and he was able to quickly make his way into the dorm.

"Dongju-ah! Is that you?"

He froze.

"Dongju?!"

Dongju didn't have the chance to formulate a reply, since Keonhee appeared in front of him.

"You're soaked!" Keonhee screeched. "Dongju, did you walk home?" He asks, vaguely horrified at the thought.

Dongju rolls his eyes at his dramatic hyung.

"Hyung, the company is on-" He cuts off with a sneeze. Two more sneezes follow in succession and when he stops, sniffing, Keonhee has backed up a step and is looking at him with wide eyes.

"Dongju-ah..." His hyung cooed sympathetically. Dongju tried to glare at the tone, but the effects was dampened by the raindrops still dripping in his eyes. "Hold on, hyung will go get a towel."

Keonhee didn't wait for a reply and spun around, disappearing down the hallway to the bedrooms in a matter of seconds. Dongju heaved a resigned sigh and began toeing his shoes off. He regretted that decision when his damp socks slid in the puddle that had begun to gather underneath him and he fell back with a bang. He just managed to catch himself before his head hit the door behind him and he sat there, feeling very put out.

"Dongju!" Keonhee cries when he comes back and sees the maknae on the floor. He's carrying an unnecessarily large pile of towels in his arms. "What happened, I heard a bang?" He kneels down beside Dongju, dropping the towels on the floor next to him and picking up the top one. He shakes it out before leaning over to wrap it around the younger's shoulders.

"I fell, hyung." Dongju pouted, lifting a hand to hold the ends of the towel together.

"Aww, Dongju-ah." Keonhee coos, lifting another towel and draping it over Dongju's head. The older begins to carefully rub at his wet hair. "Thats twice in one day. You haven't had much luck today have you?"

Dongju's answer is another sneeze. Keonhee melts, although his eyes are worried.

"You sneeze like a kitten." The older teases, pushing himself to his feet. "But come one, you shouldn't stay in those wet clothes, especially since you're already sneezing."

Dongju is surprised at the firmness in his hyungs voice. Keonhee is usually the last of his hyungs to scold - in fact, in the months he's been training with them, he doesn't think he's ever heard Keonhee sound like this. He takes the hands Keonhee holds out to him, hauling himself to his feet. He immediately slips again, although this time he falls against Keonhee's chest. Dongju doesn't bother to move - Keonhee's warm.

"Yah, maknae." Keonhee says fondly. "Come on."

Keonhee turns his around and pushes him forward, keeping an arm around his shoulders as he shuffles forward, almost slipping another three times before they make it to the bathroom.

"Jump in the shower quickly, I'll go grab you some clothes."

He's gone before Dongju can do more than nod, so he quickly strips out of his wet clothes and steps into the shower, turning it as hot as it will go. He stays in there, quickly washing, until Keonhee knocks on the shower door. His hyung is gone by the time he steps out and Dongju can't help his smile when he sees the clothes Keonhee had left next to the sink. A pair of pyjama bottoms that he's pretty sure were originally Youngjo's, a plain black t-shirt and his largest, softest hoodie.

Keonhee was sat on the sofa when Dongju shuffled into the living room. Dongju made his way over to him, noticing the laptop on the coffee table open on his favourite drama. There was a mug next to it and a steaming bowl.

"Hyung." He whined when he flopped next to Keonhee on the sofa. His hyung rolled his eyes, leaning forward to press play on the drama and pick up the bowl.

"Come on, eat up." Keonhee pushed the bowl into his hands and he was delighted to see it was ramen.

"Thank you hyung." He said as cutely as he could. Keonhee made a funny face, which made Dongju giggle even as he lifted the first bite of ramen to his lips.

Dongju finished the bowl quickly, although he blamed that on the fact that Keonhee ended up eating half the bowl. He quickly drank the now-lukewarm tea, before turning and pushing at Keonhee's shoulders until his hyung was leant awkwardly against the armrest of the sofa.

"Dongju, what are - "

"Move, hyung." Dongju interrupted, shifting so Keonhee could bring his legs up. It took a bit of shifting but soon enough Keonhee was leant comfortably back against the armrest, Dongju leaning against his chest, with one of Keonhee's legs thrown over his to keep his balance. Dongju had stacked some of the cushions they kept on the sofa on his lap and balanced the laptop on top of that, so they could both comfortably watch the drama still playing. Not that Dongju was paying much attention - his eyes were beginning to drift closed, his head comfortably resting against his hyungs shoulder.

"Go to sleep, maknae-ah. Maybe you'll feel better in the morning."

Dongju grunted at the soft voice, not wanting to acknowledge that he didn't feel great in any sort of way.

"I suppose it doesn't matter." Keonhee continued to mutter, seemingly to himself. "Hyungs won't let you do much if you're still sneezing or if you're too bruised from falling over so much. I can't believe you fell over twice, Dongju-ah." Keonhee sighed against the top of his head. "You really need to be more careful."

He was quiet after that and Dongju could feel sleep pulling at him even more strongly. It was odd, hearing Keonhee talk like this. His second-youngest hyung was rarely so serious, able to find the funny side in almost anything. It was also strange to be coddled by this hyung - their oldest three hyungs were the most likely to fuss at him, although Hwanwoong did his fair share of mother-henning. Dongju would never say Keonhee didn't fuss or - dare he say - love him, but his most dramatic, playful hyung was more prone to loud exclamations of affection in comparison to the gestures the other four tended towards.

It was nice, to see this side of Keonhee; reassuring, that he really could count on any of his hyungs to take care of him.


	4. A Very Lost Maknae Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cute maknae line fluff as thry get lost in America.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is set tangentially during their American tour, although since I am not Amercian I have not tried to give it a proper setting. Also, there is no substance to this. It is just fluff. I hope you enjoy :) 
> 
> (Apologies for any mistakes, not proof-read properly)

Hwanwoong giggled, having to stop and lean against the nearest wall as he watched Dongju and Keonhee bicker. Keonhee was playing with fire; Hwanwoong was sure that one more teasing observation would have him pushed over. The oldest of their trio didn't know when to stop, however, especially when he was in a high a mood as he was today. They were in America! Hwanwoong completely understood the excitement, he could feel it bubbling in his own veins; unlike Keonhee, however, he wasn't stupid enough to bait their temperamental maknae, no matter how excited he was.

"Come on, hyung!" Dongju called. Hwanwoong refocused on the other two, too find Keonhee pouting and Dongju looking smugly satisfied - he must have missed something. Jogging to catch up, he grabbed Dongju's hand, swinging it happily. Keonhee, noticing this, grabbed his other hand and Hwanwoong dismissed the feeling of walking between his parents and tried to enjoy the evening. They'd managed to get away from their hyungs, leaving the older three in the hotel and although there was a pair of managers following behind them, it all felt wonderfully free. There was nearly no chance of anyone recognising them and the chance to lose themselves in the unknown streets was a luxury he hadn't been afforded since his early days as a trainee. He'd been too busy and then it had been too risky, even if he had had the time.

"Hyung, can we get drinks?" Dongju asked, pouting.

Hwanwoong blinked, looking around. There was a cafe a few doors down.

"Sure." Hwanwoong shrugged. "We'll see if they have anything to eat, too."

They hadn't had anything to eat since lunch, since they'd been busy at the concert venue all afternoon with rehearsals. They'd left the hotel before anyone could bring up dinner plans and, going by Keonhee's enthusiastic reply and Dongju's agreeing smile, food would be welcome right now.

They pushed their way into the cafe, finding a few people sat around the tables. The three of them crowded around the little fridge set up at the end of the counter, finding a selection of sandwiches and bottled drinks. It took them a bit longer than they were willing to admit to understand which sandwich had which filling, given most of their English skill was in speaking it. Nonetheless, it wasn't long until they were taking their selections to be paid for. Hwanwoong was pushed by two different people to the front and rolled his eyes exasperatedly. Keonhee was uncharacteristically shy when it came to speaking English and Dongju wasn't one to try something if it had the potential to embarrass him.

"Hi, what can I get for you today?"

"Hello." He greeted brightly. "Three hot chocolate, please." He held up three fingers.

She nodded, smiling.

"And those sandwiches?" She asked.

Hwanwoong blinked, taking a moment to understand. Dongju was ahead of him, and set his and Keonhee's sandwiches on the counter. Hwanwoong followed and smiled back at the barista when she reached out for them.

As she typed something on the screen in front of her, Keonhee grabbed three bags of crisps from a display in front if him, recognising the packets from some snacks that had been set out for them at a concert hall the other week. He also set down some biscuits, although Hwanwoong was pretty sure he only grabbed them for the chocolate coating and had no idea what they were otherwise. He pushed them forwards on the counter nonetheless.

It didn't take long for the barista to ring up their purchases and Hwanwoong paid her with a sigh after Dongju and Keonhee both shrugged, holding out empty hands when he turned in their direction. They retreated to an empty booth with their food, digging in straight away. Hwanwoong hadn't realised how hungry he truly was until the first bite of his sandwich and devoured all the snacks in quick succession.

"We should get burgers on the way back." Dongju said definitively, staring into his hot chocolate.

"Or pizza!" Keonhee agreed enthusiastically.

"Mmm." Hwanwoong made an agreeing noise, already imagining the sort of food they could pick up.

"We should probably ask hyungs if they wanted anything." Hwanwoong giggled at Dongju's reluctant tone. Stingy maknae.

"I'll text them." Keonhee volunteers.

Its silent for a moment.

"Oops."

Hwanwoong looks up from his drink to see Keonhee upturning his bag on the table.

"I haven't got my phone." Keonhee admits after a couple of minutes.

"Ok, I'll text them." Hwanwoong says, reaching into his pocket. He checks his other pocket. He checks under the table to make sure his phone hasn't fallen out of his pocket. He clears his throat. "Yeah, I haven't got my phone either."

They both look at Dongju, who looks back with wide eyes.

"I left my phone charging in the hotel." He admits.

Unwittingly, Hwanwoong bags his head on the table.

"Great." He groans.

"I suppose we'd better get back then." Keonhee says quietly. "They're probably worrying that we haven't been in touch."

The younger two agree quickly, finishing their hot chocolates and making their way out of the cafe.

They paused, the sound of the door closing behind them oddly ominous. Hwanwoong peered around, looking up and down the street. It had started to get dark during the time they'd been in the cafe. He startled slightly when someone grabbed his hand and looked over to see Dongju had sidled closer.

"Okay, come on." Hwanwoong smiled brightly and started down the street. Keonhee crowded close on the other side of Dongju, so they were walking huddled together. It was lucky that they didn't run into anyone, since they would definitely have trouble getting past the trio.

"Can we still get pizza?" Keonhee asked a few minutes later.

"Yeah, can we?" Dongju perked up.

Hwanwoong rolled his eyes, unsure when he became the person in charge. He supposed maturity mattered more than age and giggled silently to himself at the thought.

"Yeah, we can still get pizza." Hwanwoong agreed. He was hungry too. And it would be a good peace offering for the hyung, who were likely worried. Youngjo, at least, liked to be texted every couple of hours when they wandered off on their own.

"We'll get a large one for hyungs." Dongju muttered. Hwanwoong laughed in agreement.

"Is this the right way?" Keonhee asked suddenly, peering over his shoulder. They all paused, looking around them in trepidation.

"Um." Hwanwoong refrained from swearing. He didn't recognise the street they were on at all, although that didn't necessarily mean much.

"I don't think we came through here." Dongju said doubtfully.

Hwanwoong bit his lip, wishing he had his phone if only to see where they were.

"Wait, where are the managers?" He realises with a start.

"What?" Keonhee and Dongju chorused, looking around once again.

"They're not here." Dongju said lowly, biting his lip.

"Ok, this is fine." Keonhee reassured. "Totally fine. We'll be fine." He was getting higher pitched with each sentence.

"We are fine." Hwanwoong said firmly. "Come on, lets find someone and ask for directions."

With a plan in mind, they continued in what they thought was the right direction. They didn't come across anyone else for nearly five minutes and they all let out of breathes of relief when they saw the two women about to pass them.

"Excuse me?" Keonhee asked as confidently as he could, slowing down so he was stood next to the two now-confused women. One of them smiled at them.

"Sorry, we - lost?" Keonhee continued haltingly.

"You're lost?" The taller woman asked sympathetically.

"Yes." Keonhee nodded enthusiastically, getting a smile from both women this time.

"Do you know where you're staying?" The shorter woman asked.

Keonhee looked over to them and Hwanwoong was thankful when Dongju told them a name that seemed right.

"Ahh, you're not too far, thankfully." The shorter woman said comfortingly.

"Yeah, I'd say its only a ten minute walk." The other woman added. "What you'll need to do is - "

They listened attentively, memorising as best they could.

"Thank you." They all chorused, bowing politely. The women blinked, but waved them off with encouraging smiles. It wasn't long until they were walking back down the street, carefully making note of what street they were on.

They took a wrong turn at one point and had to turn back and almost got run over at a crosswalk, so it took twice as long as the women had predicted to reach their hotel. They let out loud sighs of relief. The synchronicity of the sound surprised them and they turned to each other, giggling.

"Wait," Dongju paused before they could enter the hotel. "Pizza." He pointed across the street, where a flickering sign had caught his attention.

Hwanwoong and Keonhee shared a look, although it only took half a second for both of them to agree.

So, nearly fifteen minutes later, they were knocking on - what they hoped with all their hearts was - Youngjo's, Geonhak's and Dongju's hotel room. Hwanwoong was tempted to close his eyes when the door opened, scared it would be a stranger. He wished he had, though, when Seoho opened the door. Their normally smiley hyung was frowning, worry lines creasing his forehead and around his eyes. Eyes that widened when he saw the three of them there. With a bright smile, Keonhee held up the pizza boxes, although that didn't stop Seoho.

"Where have you been?!" He asked loudly. "Hyung!" He called over his shoulder before they could reply. Youngjo appeared over his shoulder. He seemed to sag when he saw them, sighing in relief. It was only for a moment, though, until he straightened again, frowning.

"Come on, get in here." The two oldest moved back, leaving enough room for them to get past. They trudged into the room, finding Geonhak in front of the windows, frozen where he's surely been pacing.

"Hi hyung." They all muttered. Keonhee set the pizza on the dresser, fiddling with his now-empty hands. Hwanwoong and Dongju shared a look as Youngjo and Seoho moved to stand next to Geonhak. They were definitely in trouble.

Although cuddled in bed later, Keonhee half on top of him and Seoho snoring in the opposite bed, Hwanwoong supposed it could have been worse. At least they'd gotten lost together, which had reassured the hyungs somewhat. The scolding had been about 75% fussing, in the end and they'd been right that pizza was a good peace offering. Seoho had threatened to glue their phones to their hands, though, which Hwanwoong wouldn't put past the older to do as a prank.

Trying - and failing - to turn over and only causing Keonhee's limbs to tighten around him, Hwanwoong was even more glad that although their excursion had worried their hyungs and definitely sent him, Keonhee and Dongju into a bit of a panic, they'd all come out alright. Next time, they'd just have to take the hyungs with them.


	5. The Start of Something New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seoho wasn’t a fan of skin-ship, but he can’t just leave his new maknae hurting. He discovers that maybe he doesn’t mind it so much after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A request from toastedbrownrice, who wanted to see why Seoho doesn’t mind skinship with Dongju so much. Sorry it took so long to post this, I hope everyone enjoys it. 
> 
> If there’s something anyone else wants to see in the fic, feel free to let me know. I promise I’ll get round to writing (and posting) it eventually.

Preparing for debut was harder than he'd ever thought. Going through two survival shows should have prepared him for this, he thought. But no; this was different. In some ways, worse. Easier, in that he wasn't constantly fearful of elimination, which was another perk of being in a pre-debut group instead of with the larger cohort of trainees. Unless something went very, very wrong, he was going to debut. The six of them were going to debut.

They were still figuring out how Geonhak and Dongju fit. The rest of them had been together for years beforehand, on and off. Having two new people join suddenly was a bit disconcerting, although glowing recommendations from Youngjo and Dongmyeong respectively helped them warm up to each other immensely.

Sighing at the direction his thoughts had gone, Seoho pushed himself up from where he's star-fished on the floor of the practice room, grimacing over-exaggeratedly at his reflection in the mirror. It was late, he realised with a glance at the clock. Almost 1am. He sighed again. The others would get worried if he didn't return to the dorm soon - they had a fairly early start, with filming starting for their pre-debut show beginning tomorrow. Even if he knew he wouldn't get any sleep, it was best to go home, so he could at least rest comfortably. And with company, since Youngjo, at least, was likely to sleep fitfully before the new schedule tomorrow. It was a first for all of them, this sort of content, and Seoho worried if they would be able to film the sort of content the company wanted. Surely it couldn't be easy?

Making a conscious effort to push those thoughts from his mind, Seoho gathered his things from where they were scattered around the room and quickly exited, making sure to turn the light off behind him. He'd gotten in trouble for leaving it on before and he was determined to avoid that scolding ever again. Humming to himself, he set off down the corridor, brows furrowing when he saw the light coming from the room closest to the exit. It was set up as a practice room, although it was too small for more than one or two people to dance in at a time, especially since someone had moved a table in there for use as a desk, to hopefully get the room more use.

Figuring someone had not yet been scolded for it and so left the light on, Seoho decided to do a trainee a favour and turn it off for them. Opening the door, he had a moment of confusion, closely followed by flooding relief that he'd decided to do a good deed.

Dongju was curled up against the mirror, tear tracks stark on his face and phone pressed to his ear. Seoho could hear a voice coming through it, although he couldn't make out any words. Dongju had looked up when he heard the door open and his face was - almost afraid. No, that wasn't right, Seoho thought to himself. He looked ashamed. And very upset.

For a fleeting moment, Seoho wished he wasn't alone. Youngjo would be so much better at this, not afraid of wrapping himself around their maknae to comfort him and cajole him into opening up. Even Geonhak, who seemed to have a magical connection with Dongju. Hwanwoong, or Keonhee, who would be able to cheer the youngest up easily. But he was on his own and he couldn't leave Dongju like this, or pretend he hadn't seen it. He'd feel guilty forever.

Biting his lip, he stared back at Dongju, trying to soften his face into something sympathetic but not pitiful. His natural inclination to smile meant that he looked silly making these sorts of faces - at least, he thought so - and he was out of practice at such expressions.

"Hey Dongju-ah." He greeted quietly when Dongju just continued to look up at him, the only sound in the room coming from the phone. He finally closed the door behind him and made his way over to the mirror, sliding down next to the younger. A little unsure, he shifted so that their shoulders were touching. Dongju was a tactile person, he knew for sure. He could give up his personal space for a bit to offer this comfort.

"Dongju!?" He heard clearly through the phone.

He recognised that voice.

"Dongmyeong?" He asked, surprised. He wasn't sure why he was, however. Everybody knew that the twins were close.

"Seoho-hyung?" Dongmyeong asked. Dongju silently put the phone on speaker, moving it to his right hand so it was closer to Seoho. "Oh, thank goodness you're there." Dongmyeong continued.

"What? Has something happened?" He looked at Dongju as he said this, but the maknae avoided his gaze. It was Dongmyeong that answered.

"Dongju had a really bad day, but I'm in Ansan for a university festival and he's all alone." Dongmyeong sounded forlorn.

"We're here." Seoho couldn't help but point out.

"That's what I was saying." The younger replies, clearly exasperated. "But he didn't want to bother you."

Seoho pouted in Dongju's direction, trying to get the other to look at him. Dongju continued to stare at his knees, which he'd brought up to his chest.

"Ok." He sighed after a moment. "I'm here now, Dongmyeong." He tried to sound more reassuring and less like he had no clue what he was doing.

"Right. Thanks hyung." Dongmyeong's own sigh sounded clearly even through the phone speaker. "Dongju-ah." He cooed. Seoho blinked at the sudden change of tone.

"Myeongie." Dongju finally spoke, bringing the phone closer to his mouth.

"Remember to eat something before you go to bed and make sure to drink a glass of water too. And make sure Seoho-hyung looks at your knee, just to make sure. You might need to wrap it. And try your best to sleep well; remember to ask a hyung if you can sleep in with them if you don't want to be alone, they won't turn you away. You need to sleep, you've got a busy day tomorrow." Its an odd mix of fondness and scolding that pours out of Dongmyeong and Seoho catches it all before Dongju manages to turn the phone off speaker. Seoho bites his lip, smiling slightly as he catches the blush spreading over Dongju's face.

"I know, Myeongie. Yeah, I'll call you tomorrow. Ok, night." He paused for a second, looking shyly in Seoho's direction. "Love you too." He hung up immediately, still blushing. Seoho found it almost unbearably cute.

"Dongju-ah." He cooed himself, shifting so he was pressed even closer to Dongju, an arm thrown over the younger's shoulder. His heart squeezed slightly at the way Dongju laid his head on his shoulder, melting into his side. It was different, having such a cute dongsaeng. Hwanwoong and Keonhee, who he'd known for a long time, were different - independent and self-assured in a way that Dongju, with his short training period, wasn't. Geonhak was still finding his own place in the group, but was growing used to them, his quiet confidence more and more obvious every day. Youngjo was his only hyung, something Seoho was glad for; he didn't know how they'd manage if he had to take on the role of the oldest hyung. He could barely figure out how to comfort Dongju, let alone get them through the numerous breakdowns that graced the members every week.

"I'm fine, hyung." He was snapped out of his thoughts at Dongju's quiet voice. "We can - um, we can go." He started shifting away before Seoho could even reply.

"Nope." He replied cheerfully, tightening his arm and holding Dongju close to his side. His maknae let out a surprised huff of air, but quickly adjusted until he was comfortable. "Now, tell hyung what's wrong." He demanded.

Dongju turned assessing eyes on him, which Seoho grinned at. Dongju often looked like he was judging them, which Keonhee had guessed was a sign he was opening up to them, since for the first three months he'd just oscillated between stone-faced and terrified.

"Its just been a long day, hyung." He said at last.

"Yeah, Dongmyeong mentioned that." Seoho replied as kindly as he could. "He also mentioned that you hurt your knee?"

Dongju pouted down at said knee.

"I've just bruised it." The younger muttered.

"That'd still hurt." Seoho raises an eyebrow. Dongju shrugs.

They sit there in silence for a moment. It would have been awkward if they weren't basically cuddling, although Seoho can still feel his skin start to crawl. He isn't used to so much skinship; normally he'd have jumped away by now. It was worth putting up with, though, if it meant comforting Dongju

"Come on!" He said suddenly, shifting so the arm he had around Dongju's neck could yank him towards his chest, in an almost-chokehold that allowed him to aggressively ruffle the younger's hair.

"Hyung!" The younger squealed, twisiting to try and escape his grip.

"Nope, maknae-yah. You tell hyung whats going on or I keep going." Just to make his point, he rubs at Dongju's head so his hair was pulled in different directions, enough that it felt incredibly weird but didn't hurt.

"Ack, hyung!" Dongju continued to protest.

"Ah, ah." He scolded playfully, jerking his hand back before Dongju could bite him. They'd all learnt that lesson weeks ago, although it was one Geonhak seemed to be having trouble with.

"Hyung~" The maknae whined once more before going limp. Seoho ruffled his hair again, just for good measure. He still doesn't let Dongju sit up, but they adjust themselves slightly so they're more comfortable. "I just fell over this afternoon and I thought it was fine so I went to dance class but it just hurt worse afterwards. And then I had vocal lessons and after that one of the dance teachers called me back for extra lessons and I fell again and everyone laughed." Dongju pouts.

"Oh, Dongju-ah." Seoho sighs sympathetically. Dongju was the only one of them still taking dance classes with other trainees, eating up even more of the maknae's time. He only had to pass the basic dance classes, though, and he should be done soon, which Seoho knew they would all be grateful for. Seeing Dongju exhausted from the extra practice pulled at their heart-strings. "You should have told the teacher that you'd hurt your knee, they would have understood."

Dongju just continues to pout.

"And dance evaluations are coming up in two weeks and you'll be done with them - I bet you won't even see half of those trainees again." Seoho is pretty sure of that. If they were called back for extra dance practice, they were the middling group - good enough that the company wanted them to do well and so gave extra lessons, but not good enough that the classes weren't necessary. It was very likely only the better half would get through the next set of evaluations. Dongju had missed out on the first two months of the training class and so was invited to the extra lessons regardless.

"None of them like me." Dongju finally muttered sullenly.

"What?" Seoho looked down at the younger with surprise. "How can they not like you?"

It was an honest question. Dongju was cold, but in a fragile sort of way that drew you in. Once you got to know him a bit better, he was sarcastic and funny, but welcoming and cuddly. Who wouldn't love him?

"Because I'm debuting soon and I haven't even been here for that long." Dongju whispered.

With a grunt of exertion, Seoho hauled the younger over and onto his lap. Dongju's legs flailed comically at the sudden move, but he settled down quickly. Seoho was going to use a tried and tested method of keeping the maknae's attention - they had all seen Dongmyeong, Hyungu and Yonghoon do it before and Youngjo had already tried it. Seoho used one hand to turn Donju's face towards him.

"If everyone here didn't think you were ready to debut, you wouldn't be." He said bluntly. He'd thought about this before, too. When Dongju had been added to the final line-up, it had burned slightly. This boy had little-to-no training and was already slated for debut. It was different even to Geonhak, who had been added at the same time but had gone through years of hard training somewhere else. But all his points about Dongju's personality stood firm and they had all been won over by him quickly. Plus, his determination to do well endeared all of them. "They might be jealous but that's their problem." He said firmly.

Hwanwoong had told him this once, when he was moved up a level in vocal training after only a few weeks. The other trainees had shot him numerous envious looks that couldn't be ignored and when he finally cracked, Hwanwoong had had words of wisdom and comfort.

"You're going to debut, Dongju. We're going to debut." He emphasised. "They might be jealous forever and that might help them debut, eventually, but it might also not. Its not your problem. If they don't want to be friends with you, there's no point wasting energy on them." Seoho finished. Dongju sighed gustily, dropping so he was leant into Seoho's chest. He tucked his head into the older's neck, which Seoho valiantly tolerated. Last time Keonhee had done this, he'd pushed the taller off the sofa. The thought of doing the same to Dongju sent a wave of guilt through him, even though he hadn't done anything.

Plus, Seoho remembered the threats Dongmyeong had uttered when Dongju had been added to the group, all four of his bandmates stood beside him intimidatingly. He shuddered to think what the five of them would do if they hurt Dongju.

On that cheery thought, Seoho thought it best they got home. It was getting really late and they did have a busy day tomorrow. He could check on Dongju's knee and put the maknae to bed before collapsing himself.

"Come on then, lets get home." He levered Dongju to his feet and in a matter of minutes they were exiting the building. Dongju had slipped his hand into his and Seoho had smiled and tightened his grip. The walk was quiet and thankfully quick and before they knew it they were at the dorm. Dongju downed a glass of water and munched his way through two bananas as Seoho inspected the younger's knee, deciding that they should put a support bandage on it tomorrow just in case but that it really did just look bruised. He filled two water glasses before ushering the younger into the bedroom, where Dongju - without a moment's thought - climbed in beside Hwanwoong, who unconsciously rolled over to make room.

Seoho stifled his laugh, setting the glass on the floor and pushing it under the bed slightly, making sure Dongju knew it was there. He did the same with his water glass, after taking a large sip, pushing it under his bed before turning the hallway light off and settling in.

"Thanks hyung." Dongju whispered.

"You're welcome, Dongju-ah. Remember to always come to us if you need anything. Anything at all." He stressed, smiling over at the maknae, although he wouldn't be able to see it in the dark room.

"Good night." Before long, Dongju's deep breaths joined the other's in filling the room.

Seoho was glad that Dongju got to sleep so easily, which he attributed to joining Hwanwoong, remembering what Dongmyeong had said on the phone. He turned over, smiling to himself. He'd managed to help Dongju. It was the first time he had - he definitely wasn't Dongju's first choice. Maybe after this, though, the maknae would feel more comfortable coming to him.

Before he drifted off, he thought to himself that he didn't even really mind the cuddling, not with his cute maknae.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this one-shot. I plan on updating this fic with other one-shots as regularly as I can. If anyone has something they’d like to see (that’s in line with the relationships of this fic) please feel free to request it in the comment section and I’ll do my best to write it.


End file.
